Coastal areas that are frequently swamped during seasonal high tides braced for the worst Wednesday.

But most low-lying trouble spots either were dry or had only minor flooding. The reason: The pumps and special valves to stem the flooding did their job, and the tides weren't as high as initially predicted, officials said.

The worst flooding appeared to be at the Delray Beach Marina Historic District, where a few inches of sea water accumulated on Marine Way — without the help of any rain.

"There were fish swimming in the street," said John Morgan, the city's sustainability officer. He said the city plans to install flex valves on drain pipes to prevent flooding in the future.

The full moon, seasonal high tides and rising sea levels all conspire to pull ocean water onto dry land.

Although the tides were about 4 inches lower than expected today, they still could be higher than normal on Thursday and Friday, so coastal flooding still is possible, said meteorologist Dave Ross, of the National Weather Service in Miami.

Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel

Morning commuters make their way through some water on Las Olas Boulevard on Wednesday.

Morning commuters make their way through some water on Las Olas Boulevard on Wednesday. (Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel)

"Then it improves," he said.

In Fort Lauderdale, there were a few inches of water in the Las Olas Isles neighborhood and some water along the city's Riverwalk, said Assistant City Manager Susanne Torriente. She said the city has installed 44 special tidal valves to prevent sea water from flowing up storm drains.

"You can see where the valves are working," she said. "The water came up and it drained down."

Miami Beach, which experiences some of the region's worst flooding, spent $15 million on pumps to keep roads from being submerged. The pumps worked, said city spokeswoman Julie Yarbough.

"We're dry, we're thrilled," she said, adding that when she went out to inspect the roads, "I put on goulashes, and everybody laughed at me."

Yarbough said a few spots still had minor flooding, such as on West Avenue, but noted "those are areas where pumps haven't been installed."

Although the high tides, also known as King tides, were expected to peak on Wednesday, the coastal flooding actually was worse on Tuesday in Delray Beach. That was because of rain, said Ross, of the weather service.

Also expected to intensify the flooding on Wednesday: the moon made its closest approach to Earth, drawing within 227,000 miles and increasing the gravitational pull on the ocean.

But, "for whatever reason," the high tide crested at 3.35 feet on Wednesday, when it normally is about 3.06 feet, Ross said.

Although there was a total eclipse of the moon early Wednesday, that played no role in coastal flooding, said Susan Barnett, director of Buehler Planetarium and Observatory in Davie.

"The fact that there is a full moon, yes, it does affect the King tides," she said. "The fact that there's an eclipse doesn't."

Although cities have taken steps to stem flooding, those are only temporary solutions if sea levels continue to rise, officials said.

In the past century, sea levels have risen about nine inches and, according to federal estimates, could increase up to two feet by 2060.

"Right now, the King tides are not a very normal occurrence," said Morgan, of Delray Beach. "But if the sea level continues to rise a foot or two over the next 50 to 75 years, it will happen a lot more often, 30 to 40 times a year, maybe more."